Hello from Winnipeg, Canada

[MOWMAI]

Hello, my name is Deanna and I have two parrots living with me and my parents in Manitoba. I adopted the two of them six or seven years ago when I had involved myself with a bird rescue in the Seattle area. I fostered four parrots out of hundreds of birds that had been involved in a fire. When it came time to move, I had to find homes for a few of the birds but had built a loving bond with the two I have today.

The first of my parrots is Grinch, a one-winged severe macaw. He loves to talk, climb, and cause trouble. I was worried that missing a wing was going to be a handicap and that over time he would start to pluck, but he's the happiest and most rambunctious parrot I've ever seen. He likes to cuddle in blankets, people and his toys.
The second of my parrots is Boo, a red lored amazon parrot. Boo can't talk, unfortunately, but he's getting more and more excited about whistling for people. When I got him he was quiet, overweight and didn't move much. Since connecting with him I've learned that he's a loving little bird who loves having his head scratched. He's flighted but never flies.

When I adopted these birds I was only 13-14 years old. Now I'm 20 and have learned that I need to take more responsibility for my pets. I joined this forum to gather ideas and ask questions and hope that I can build some bonds throughout the parrot-keeping community. I hope that I fit right into this forum.

Thank you so much, I look forward to chatting with everyone!
Deanna

[Michael]

I was in Winnipeg about two weeks ago. Welcome to the forum.

[Harpmaker]

Welcome Deanna! Kudos to you for helping your birds.

I never heard of a parrot with a missing wing. It is a tribute to your care that Grinch is happy today.

My little parrot also loves to whistle. She seems to have decided certain people's names are whistles. For instance, my daughter taught her the sequence she uses to call her dog, and Corsair has decided that sequence is my daughter's name.

With those two parrots, you should fit right in here. We love pictures. (hint)

[Lady]

Hi Deanna,
I too am new but excited to hear more about your experiences with your birds.Grinch and Boo sound like wonderful little guys.
We also have a severe macaw and although she has been in our family for sometime, I still don't have the pleasure of being as close to her as I know I can get. I will soon be ready to restart clicker training. There is great information here on the forum and the members are friendly and very helpful.

[Pajarita]

Welcome to the forum! I am surprised they allowed you to foster parrots and adopt them at only 14 years of age! No insurance covers minors and that's why they can't even volunteer at rescues on their own. I also never heard of a rescue that would adopt to a minor (they couldn't sign the contract, for one thing) but I am glad they ended up in a good home. I have a bird with only one wing and had three more like that, they can't fly but, aside from that, parrots don't seem to be too put out by this handicap but, if it happened to a passerine, it would be a different story.

[MOWMAI]

Hello again! Thank you everyone for your kind welcomes! I think joining this forum is going to be very educational for me and will help me make the changes to give my birds the best lives that I can.

When I was 14 my mom decided we were going to go to what I can only assume was a bird convention. I was amazed by all of the parrots being shown and being sold by breeders. I believe it was here that my mom decided to join the bird rescue and bring me along (probably as a kind of life-lesson). There came a point a few months following where an extreme bird hoarder became ill and was hospitalized, and all of her birds were caught in a massive fire. We were novices, but we had people all around to offer us advice so we took in a handful to try to help out.

I believe someone mentioned pictures, so I grabbed a few older ones in case you were still interested! I mostly take videos of them, so pictures were a little harder to find.

This is Grinch. This is the side of him that's missing a wing.


And this one is Boo : )

[Wolf]

Just so that you know and don't have to make extra efforts for us. We do like pictures, but we like videos just as much, so please, videos are very much welcome here too.

[MOWMAI]

Good to hear, Wolf! I won't bombard anyone at this time but Grinch is quite the character and I love to share.

[Pajarita]

Awww, look at the pretty babies! That's a little girl RLA you have there, isn't it? Looks like a girl to me. My very first rescue was a female RedLored Amazon and I have a real soft spot for them. She was mean, mean, mean and plucked her chest but it was from neglect and, once she settled with us, she became very affectionate and stopped plucking altogether. She lived 20 years with me but I had to put her down due to cancer in both her legs bones -the alternative was to amputate both her legs and, according to the vet, it was very probable that it had spread to other bones (it was an aggressive form of cancer) so I decided to put her down (she was in pain).

[Harpmaker]

Pretty birds! Thanks for sharing.